


This Song Is... Benzene

by Strange_Dark



Category: Lencest - Fandom, Vocaloid
Genre: Benzene, Chemicals, Child Neglect, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Lencest, M/M, Nightmares, Nitrobenzene, Paradichlorobenzene, Sibling Rivalry, Toluene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-06-22 10:59:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15580476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strange_Dark/pseuds/Strange_Dark
Summary: Based loosely off the Benzene seriesStrange Dark and his sister Anti had always despised each other, yet their parents favored Anti. Dark was never loved, often physically abused by his parents. At school, his scars were there for all the world to see, but no one cared. No one until Starmine.Starmine... Dark felt something towards him that he'd never felt before. Was it... love?





	1. Benzene [C6H6]

From the second they were born, Anti and Strange Dark had never gotten along. Anti was the more charming of the two, as Dark was horrible at people skills and socializing in general. For this reason, both parents favored Anti over Dark. The small boy didn't seem to need anyone, often by himself in his room. He didn't truly hate his sister, yet he held no love for her. Unfortunately, she hated him with a burning passion. 

She was actually quite a stunning creature, pulling everyone towards her, charming them into agreeing with her and supporting whatever she did. As a result, everyone was cruel to Dark for absolutely no reason. He knew it was his sister's doing, and that underneath her beauty, she was toxic. 

As years went on, neglect and hateful comments from fellow students at school picked away at his self esteem, which had been low from the very beginning. 

Even that was nothing compared to what he endured at home. Anti had countless tactics to frame him for absolutely everything that went wrong, so much to the point that his parents couldn't stand him. He went to bed hungry most nights, a new painful bruise given to him by his mother, mostly. When his father was home, he was whipped.

Yet he never cried out. 

He didn't need anyone. They would all hurt him in the end, just like they always do. He started cutting himself, he hated everything. His parents, his sister, his school, but mostly himself. 

By the time he was in high school, he didn't understand what love was anymore. He'd never been loved, and he never expected to be either. He refused to open up to anyone, they would just laugh at him, make his life more miserable than it already was. Nobody needed him, he was just another useless being, or so he thought. He never bothered anyone, and so everyone left him alone in return. All he felt was remorse, though he knew it was his own fault. He was scared.

What if they didn't like him?

What if they made everything worse?

How could things get worse? 

Though he kept his face expressionless, all the negative feelings and self hate tumbled within him. All the anger, pain, depression, loneliness, jealousy, hate, all of it coursing through his veins with no way to get out. He had no one to share his pain with. 

There was only one thing he absolutely could not stand, and that was any form of being bound. Physically or mentally, he hated them both. He despised rules, and refused to be told what to do. All of his bondage fears were because of a reoccurring nightmare. Each one was slightly different, so the nightmares as a whole seemed to be a giant story. The first one had happened when he was about three, but now, entering his second year of high school, he could still remember it clearly. 

In that first nightmare he'd found himself in a giant birdcage made of gold, and it seemed to be hanging in an abyss of absolute nothingness. The floor of the cage was black and white tile, and there wasn't much to occupy the space, just a desk and a few other things. He wandered around the cage for a while, utterly confused and curious. It seemed fine until the voices started. His voice, even at three years old, telling him that he didn't deserve to exist, that only Anti should have been born. Those voices taunted him for what seemed like forever, mocking his innocent ways, innocent because he was only a small child. They warned him there would be no comfort when he woke up, that he would only suffer more. 

As the nightmare continued, his voice seemed to multiply, all repeating the same three words.

Rice cakes, sea anemones, benzene.

He screamed for them to stop, but they only got louder. He broke down into tears as the voices suddenly stopped, then asked in perfect unison, "Is there any meaning to this song?" 

Dark had woken up screaming, and that was the first time hit him. Now, he realizes that the first nightmare had been about Anti. Very subtly, the voices had been revealing her true nature to his innocent three year old self. Rice cakes look promising, but are truly rather bland. Sea anemones are beautiful. Benzene is poisonous. A combination of the three, you had Anti. Like sea anemones, she's an alluring creature, but like benzene, absolutely poisonous. He'd tried to love her, but it was impossible to love such a person. 

As he got older, they occurred less often, until for a year or so, he didn't have any. Before that, he sometimes had the same nightmare over and over again. He would be stuck in that cage, frantically searching for an escape, but those voices, those awful hateful voices, were always there. Though he'd tried, he couldn't force himself awake, and was tormented by the voices until they chose to let him go. 

After almost two years without having one of those nightmares, though he didn't forget about them, he didn't worry about them anymore. They didn't come back to haunt him, they seemed like a thing of the past.

On a school morning, fifteen year old Dark bolted upright in bed, a scream of terror escaping him. His bed was drenched in sweat, and he allowed himself to cry, numb with shock and fear. There was no one there to dry his tears, no loving mother, no caring father.

The nightmares were back.


	2. Nitrobenzene [C6H5NO2]

The second Dark had slipped into the nightmare, he was terrified. "Let me out!" he yelled, slamming his fist against the blue door. He could see through it, it was just stained glass. Why wouldn't it break? "Let me out!" he shouted again, though he knew his attempts were futile. Hr had no choice but to see the nightmare through. 

Defeated, he sank into the chair that stood before the desk. Tapping his fingers on the wooden surface of the desk, he waited anxiously for the voices to begin. 

It seemed like a while before anything happened, but Dark could hear a tune very faintly. It was actually quite calming, very mellow,and he began to tap his foot to the beat. It scared him when the voices started suddenly, repeating the word "nitrobenzene" over and over again before they went quiet, allowing the tune to calm his nerves. 

The voices started again, repeating "nitrobenzene," then scatting. The chaotic effect that scatting gave was worsened as images began to flash before his glistening emerald eyes. 

The voices started to taunt him. "Is there any meaning to this song? There's no meaning to this song."

All the images, they were part of something. Pieces of a puzzle. 

After repeating "nitrobenzene" again, the voices receded, leaving him with the calming effect of the instruments, and the flashing images began to slow down. The instruments ceased, and Dark promptly woke up screaming.

He rested his face in his palms, trying to shake the images out of his head. He recognized all of them, but when he tried to put them all together, it refused to click. 

He reached over to his night stand to grab his phone and check the time.

3:58 AM.

He sighed, sliding out of his sweat drenched bed. His parents were deep sleepers, they wouldn't wake if he took a quick shower. 

He crept down the hall, relieved to see everyone was still asleep, then closed the bathroom door behind him. He undressed, throwing his nightclothes aside carelessly and climbing into the shower. He didn't bother with warm water, the icy cold was far more refreshing. 

He knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, so he found his mind wandering back to his nightmare. Calmed by the cold refreshing water, he laughed. The voices repeating "nitrobenzene" sounded like car horns at times. 

"What the hell are you doing?"

Dark turned the shower off calmly, letting Anti see him fully exposed, all the scars that decorated his body. Feeling rebellious, he started scatting, the exact same way the voices had in his nightmare. 

They were his own voice, after all.

Anti's eyes widened as she watched her brother, and the grin that split across his face. It was terrifying, as if he were possessed or something. 

As soon as he finished, any trace of a smile disappeared. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to put some clothes on," he announced lightly, pushing past her to get to his room, still dripping wet. 

It gave him an odd sense of satisfaction, making Anti freeze in shock like that. He sat down in the middle of the room with no clothes on, leaving his mind blank and free to wander where it pleased. 

Later, when he went down to breakfast, fully dressed and ready for school, Anti said nothing about their early morning encounter. He ignored her completely, eventually deciding to skip breakfast. He wasn't hungry anyway. 

Luckily, their parents were already at work, so he pulled out his phone, connecting his music to his headphones. He could feel Anti glaring at him as he left the house, but he didn't care. It never bothered him, he didn't like her either.

Arriving at school, he was already looking forward to science, just as he always did. Though his dreams for the last fifteen years had all been nightmares about benzene, he found great interest in chemicals. He was anxious to ask about nitrobenzene, but he'd have to wait until third period. 

He arrived at school early, so he listened to music until it was time for school to start. The first two periods went by far too slow for Dark's liking, but third period came around eventually.

He practically ran there, only to his dismay, they had a substitute. Feeling deflated, Dark sank into his seat, ignoring the whispers of "shota boy" and "five year old." The sub gave them a worksheet on chemicals. Dark, of course, finished in no time at all, so he and about forty five minutes to do nothing. 

He eventually zoned out from boredom, staring off at some wall or other. It was a long time before he became aware of an enticing voice humming beside him, synchronized with another.

His voice. 

Suddenly aware, Dark promptly stopped humming. 

"Don't stop, I love your voice!"

Dark jumped a little, looking at the person who'd spoken to him. It was a guy, with straight blonde hair, rather pale, pulled back in a ponytail, bright blue eyes, and a casual orange shirt. Dark found that he couldn't keep himself from blushing.

"You're Strange Dark, right? I'm Starmine!" the taller continued with a big smile. "That tune you were humming is really catchy. What's the song called?"

Something shifted in Dark's brain, and he finally made the connection. All those flashing images from his nightmare had been of... Starmine? Though he was confused, he didn't want to keep Starmine waiting, he had to come up with an explanation for the tune, which to his horror was...

"Nitrobenzene," he blurted without thinking, then blushed deeper. "The song... it's Nitrobenzene."

"Cool!" Starmine exclaimed. "Hey Dark, do you wanna sit with me at lunch? You can call me Mine, by the way."

Looking up at Mine, Dark felt his face heat up even more. His stomach was turning, and he didn't know why. He felt... warm, in a good way. Something about Starmine... it made him happy. A feeling he'd forgotten even existed. "U-um, sure, I guess," he stammered, surprised as he felt Mine's arms around him.

"Maybe you can sing Nitrobenzene for me," Mine suggested with a friendly smile. Dark was disappointed when Mine let him go. The taller had never been mean to him, and he desperately hoped that Mine liked him as much as he liked the other blonde.

Was this... love?


	3. Paradichlorobenzene [C6H4Cl2]

A year had passed since Starmine had befriended Dark. Dark was in his eleventh grade year, Starmine in his twelfth. He had promised to keep in touch with Dark even after he graduated. It was that fateful day...

They had the same period PE, and so they were in the locker room together. They were both in there early, maybe five minutes or so. Relieved to have each other, they simply talked, until temptation became too much for the taller. Pushing Dark up against the lockers, he leaned in to kiss the younger on the lips. Dark had never experienced such a thing, but eagerly kissed back. Without warning, Starmine dropped to the other blonde's neck, kissing it up and down until he found a spot that made Dark moan softly. He began to suck on it lightly, teasing the pale skin that was turning pink from his actions with his teeth. Dark gave a small cry as the taller's actions became rougher, more careless until he simply bit into the small boy's flesh. Starmine ran his tongue over the bleeding bite, then moved on to suck on other sensitive areas on the smaller blonde's neck, leaving several glowing crimson hickeys. Dark could sense that Mine didn't intend to hurt him, but this was a way of showing affection.

Back home, he found himself reaching up to touch the tender areas, his face heating up as he remembered how Starmine made him feel. 

"What are those?" 

He sighed, facing his suspicious sister. "What are what? The cuts on my arms and legs? Those are from self harm. The bruises all over my body? That's from our parents beating me up. Anything else you'd like to know?"

"Idiot!" she snapped, jutting her hip out. "I'm talking about the hickeys on your neck!"

He smirked, licking his lips. "Ah, these hickeys? I'm sure you're just jealous that Starmine loves me in a way nobody's ever loved you, dear sister."

The absolute shock on the girl's delicate features let him know he shot her right through the heart. She released an abrupt noise of frustration before storming out of the room. Dark hugged his knees, letting satisfaction wash over him. Starmine had made him stronger, he could stand up to Anti's shit. But of course, in his history of luck, his happiness came at a price. 

Hours later, Anti stood leaning casually against his doorway as their furious parents shoved past her into Dark's bedroom. She only smirked as their mother pinned Dark on the bed, lifting his shirt to see that Starmine's affection trailed down his chest and stomach. 

"YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO THIS FAMILY!" she screeched. Her fist slammed into his stomach, and he screamed as the air left his body. He crumpled up and clutched his sides, choking on his own spit as he gasped to fill his lungs. He cried out as his wrists were tied down together while his mother held down his legs. He trembled in fear of what was to come, what his father would do to him. He could see from his blurred vision that his father was approaching with a belt. 

"How dare you dirty our family name with your underage sex?" the imposing man thundered, letting the belt tear across his son's scarred back. Dark howled, tears spilling down his cheeks. This was so unfair, another one of Anti's ridiculous lies. 

Even as their father's leather belt relentlessly ripped deep gashes in Dark's small body, Anti simply watched, almost finding pleasure in watching her brother suffer. His screams were like a morbid song to her, she wanted her twin to be utterly defeated. She was determined to crush any small happiness ruthlessly out of his life. She smirked, watching Dark thrash desperately, watching his hideous wounds bloody the sheets. 

At one point she caught his eyes, and her breathing seemed to slow. The raw hate in those brilliant green eyes bore into her very being, it was as if his single gaze could obliterate her. At the same time, she could feel the agony he was forced to endure, and she could feel his anger and depression that tortured him every day. 

All of this from a single look into her brother's eyes.

She stumbled back as if some invisible force had pushed her, she suddenly felt sick. She was used to being loved by everyone, and though she knew Dark could never love her, she'd never felt such open abhorration. 

She bit her lip as she thought of Starmine. She'd had a crush on him for years, but he always seemed to brush her off. She didn't understand why until she saw him and Dark sitting at lunch together. The entire cafeteria was whispering about it, and she was furious. Thinking about it now, that had been the first time she'd ever seen Dark genuinely smile. She never lost hope for Starmine, always plotting ways to get close to him through Dark, but Starmine could see right through her lies. 

Seeing the hickeys on her brother's neck, she had been surprised, but learning that they'd been given to him by Starmine made jealousy pulse in her veins. 

Feeling woozy from the sight of so much blood, she held a hand over her mouth, but then collapsed to her knees and vomited. Her parents were too distracted screaming at her brother for losing his virginity when in reality, no such thing had happened. She puked again, guilt this time, as she had banged so many willing boys, she'd lost count. She started to cry, and Dark's screams seemed to echo in her head, accumulating more until her head hurt, and she gave a scream of her own. Her feeble cry was lost in Dark's shrieks of pure anguish. 

Dark couldn't hold it in like he usually did. His parents had never beaten him this much. Hot, sticky blood was all over his body, he couldn't tell the wounds apart enough to prioritize which ones to nurture first. It didn't seem like they would stop any time soon. He was hurting in so many places, he almost felt numb. His mind wandered back to that morning in the locker room. He hadn't lost his virginity, but it got pretty... steamy.

His neck was a mess by the time other boys started to pour into the locker room. "Shit," Mine cursed, scooping Dark up in a bridal carry. Grabbing their PE clothes, Mine took Dark into a bathroom stall. Dark blushed as Mine removed his clothes, then stood naked before him. 

"You're so pretty, Mine," Dark mumbled.

"What do you mean?" It was Mine's turn to blush. 

"Your body... it's so flawless..." 

The taller wasn't sure what to say, but Dark wrapped his arms around Mine's neck, bringing their bodies close together. "I want you to take it all off."

Mine understood, taking the hem of Dark's shirt and pulling it over his head. Hands traveling up the younger's thighs, Mine tugged his shorts and boxers down, and the two now stood naked. 

"It's hideous, isn't it?" Dark whispered, but Mine tilted his chin up to face him.

"Dark," he started calmly. "Maybe your body's full of scars, but I think you're beautiful. I'd love you no matter what you look like, as long as you're the same person inside."

Dark moaned as Mine started kissing down his body, leaving a trail of hickeys in his pale skin. Hearing other people entering.  
the bathroom portion of the locker room, Mine kissed the younger blonde to muffle his lewd noises. Pinning Dark against the stall door, he ground against the other, and both could feel their members hardening against each other. Both were more or less average sized, and Dark couldn't help but appreciate that fact. Breaking their kiss, Dark dropped to his knees to relieve the lighter blonde. 

"Holy shit~! Have you really never done this before?" Mine managed before groaning in pleasure. Dark swallowed him easily, coating the length in warm saliva. He groped the older's thighs, bobbing on the head to make Mine crazy. "Fuck~! Dark~!" Mine was struggling to keep his voice down.

"Cum," Dark commanded simply, and Mine shoved his wrist in his mouth to muffle his cry of Dark's name. The younger let Mine's hot semen fill his throat, bitter yet creamy at the same time. With no complaint he swallowed all of it, licking excess off Mine's tip.

"My turn."

Dark had never experienced such a thing, to feel Mine's warm mouth around his shaft, wet lips grazing against his skin. 

"M-Mine~!"

Upon feeling Mine sucking on him, Dark lost his mind. Mine shoved to fingers in Dark's mouth to keep him relatively quiet. Dark couldn't control himself, his hips bucking, his member thrusting into Mine's mouth. With his other hand, Mine wandered up to the smaller boy's ass, before slipping a finger inside, then another, then another, thrusting them in time with Dark's hip movement. Dark was struggling to contain his noises as he felt himself nearing a climax. It was the most bizarre sensation, watching the hot white substance shoot into Mine's throat, some of it splattering on his face.

"You taste amazing," Mine whispered seductively, swiping Dark's cum off his face with two fingers then sticking them in his mouth. "I want you to be mine."

It took Dark a minute to process what Mine was asking for. "Wait, so-"

"I love you, Dark."

Those three words meant more to him than anything. Mine loved him. "I love you too, Mine."

Dark bit his lip, trying his hardest to hold in his screams now that his father seemed to be tiring. The cruel man was actually quite bored at this point, the lack of Dark's resistance taking away his satisfaction. "Your punishment isn't over, this continues in the morning," he spat at his mess of a son. Then Dark's parents were gone, leaving him alone in his room. As he passed out, he could barely make out Anti's doll like face before he lost consciousness.

Finding himself in the ever terrifying birdcage, he also discovered that he wasn't bleeding anywhere. "I'm ready!" he yelled, addressing the voices he knew were coming. This nightmare felt different, though, and it was. Half of the voices were singing as usual, the repeated chemical being paradichlorobenzene. The other half of the voices were just talking, talking to him, urgently telling him things that didn't necessarily relate to the song.

"僕は何の為に歌う？  
パラジクロロベンゼン"

[What do I sing for?]

"ただ意味の理解せずに歌う  
パラジクロロベンゼン"

[Do you understand?]

"そう答え求め走り出した  
パラジクロロベンゼン"

[Run.]

"その先に辿り空いて何もないと知ったけど"

[RUN!]

"さあ、歌いましょう踊りましょう  
パラジクロロベンゼン"

[Sing.]

"さあ喚きましょう叫びましょう  
パラジクロロベンゼン"

[Scream.]

"犬も猫も牛も豚もみな  
パラジクロロベンゼン"

[Make them all know.]

"さあ狂いましょう眠りましょう朽ち果てる"

[Lose your mind.]

"ルールが僕は嫌で"

[Hate.]

"ただ縛られたくなくて"

[Leave this place.]

"だから僕は逃げ出して"

[LEAVE THIS PLACE NOW !]

"後先の事は忘れ"

[Forget your consequences.]

"指図されるのが嫌で"

[Run.]

"少し悪になりたくて"

[Run.]

"深夜家を抜け出して"

[Run.]

"夜の待ちを走り抜け"

[Run to the city.]

"何の為に生きるのか？"

[Why are you alive?]

"僕は野良猫に話しかけた"

[Who do you love?]

"猫は何も答えずに"

[Who do you love?]

"ただ見下した瞳で僕を見た"

[Who do you love?]

"飲めもしないコーヒー飲め干して"

[WHO DO YOU LOVE?]

"曇り空を見あげたんだ"

[Does he love you?]

"今の僕に何が出きる？"

[What are you going to do?]

"それすらわからない"

[Do you understand?]

"だから僕は歌い叫ぶんだ  
パラジクロロベンゼン"

[Let them all know.]

"その意味の理解せずに喚く  
パラジクロロベンゼン"

[Scream.]

"これで君は満足できるの?  
パラジクロロベンゼン"

[Are you satisfied?]

"掟規則破ったら君罠にかかわるの"

[If you break the rules will something change?]

"そう誰でもいいぶちまけたい  
パラジクロロベンゼン"

[Tell him.]

"悪を叩く制御振りかざす  
パラジクロロベンゼン"

[Tell him.]

"制御盾にストレス解消  
パラジクロロベンゼン"

[Tell him everything.]

"回り止める僕ら築かないおとかなこうい"

[He is the only one who can comfort you.]

The voices that had been speaking then joined the singing.

"この歌に意味あるの?"

[Is there any meaning to this song?]

"この歌に意味ないよ"

[There is no meaning to this song.]

"この歌に罪はあるの？"

[Is there any sin to this song?]

"この歌に罪はないよ"

[There is no sin to this song.]

"ベンゼンに意味あるの？"

[Is there any meaning to benzene?]

"ベンゼンに意味ないよ"

[There is no meaning to benzene.]

"ベンゼンに罪はあるの？"

[Is there any sin to benzene?]

"この歌に意味は..."

[The meaning to this song is...]

"...ベンゼン"

[...benzene.]

"Paradichlorobenzene!" Dark gasped as he woke up. He stifled a scream as pain pulsed through him with every tiniest movement, he made. He took a few deep breaths before sitting up slowly, inch by agonizing inch. He found his hands were free, and realized that Anti had done it. He frowned. Anti hated him, why would she help him? Shaking his head, a sense of urgency overtook him. 

The nightmare had given him instructions, and he was going to follow them. 

He very carefully crawled out of the bed, taking all of his self control not to cry out with ever tender step towards the door. Before leaving the room, he gently fixed his shirt, rolling it down to cover the worst of his wounds. As an afterthought, he took his phone and headphones, letting his white headphones hang around his neck. From what he could tell, it was about three in the morning, therefore cold and dark outside. Leaning heavily against the wall, he limped to the front door. He didn't care if his parents saw the long crimson streaks on the wall. By the time they woke up, he'd be long gone. 

He took one last look at the house, flipped it off, and never looked back.

The city wasn't necessarily too far away, but to move even a few feet was unbearably painful. Using walls as a crutch, he dragged himself on for two hours before reaching even the outskirts, which was still four times as slow as if he'd been uninjured. He wanted to go just a little further in, not even to the heart of the city, buy he still needed to be closer. Nobody actually lived there except for those who lived in apartments, otherwise the the city was bustling with office buildings, shopping centers, clubs, and various other places. 

Dark suddenly paused, pressing his palm to his forehead He was so dizzy... 

His vision was blurring in and out of focus, but he still moved forward blindly. The streets seemed to be getting brighter, probably more street lamps, which meant he was now a decent way into the city. 

Still, it was at the cost that his every muscle screamed in anguish, his wounds had reopened and were now leaving a trail of scarlet behind him. He stopped several times to rest, terrified he would pass out. 

Finally satisfied with where he was, he let go of the wall, opening his mouth and beginning to sing. He sang Paradichlorobenzene, he didn't care who was listening. He couldn't see clearly anymore, his body ached, and his voice was hoarse from screaming, but he sang on. He repeated the song over and over, getting louder each time until he was screaming out the song at the top of his lungs. 

He felt his broken body start to fall, about to collapse in a bloody heap, and his voice was giving out, but he felt familiar arms catch him.

Warm arms.

Loving arms.

"Holy- Dark? Is that you?"

In his fading consciousness, Dark breathed out one word.

"Paradichlorobenzene..."


	4. Antichlorobenzene

"Dark! Wake up! Please... Dark..."

The young blonde groaned, his body ached dully. He slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in an unfamiliar place.

"Dark?"

His vision finally settled on the face above him, a face he knew well. "Starmine..." a ghost of a smile crossed his pale face.

"Dark, what the fuck happened?"

Without replying, Dark examined his arms, which were now covered in bandages. Starmine had treated all his wounds. "How do you know these medical skills?"

"My sister's a nurse in training. But Dark, tell me what happened!" Mine pressed, squeezing Dark's fingers. 

The younger met the beautiful bright blue gaze of the taller blonde, then burst into tears.

Unprepared, Mine was unsure what to do, and simply wrapped his arms around the younger boy. His shirt was soon soaked through with Dark's tears, but he didn't care. He pulled out Dark's ponytail, combing through the soft blonde locks until Dark finally started to calm down. 

"M-Mine... I don't... have anywhere... to go..."

Mine kissed the top of his head, not speaking in order for Dark to pour out what was on his mind. 

"Anti's fault... liar... my parents..."

"They did this?" Mine asked shakily, holding Dark close. The smaller nodded, cuddling close to Mine. "The song you were singing, it was called Paradichlorobenzene?"

Dark nodded again, taking a deep breath and letting Mine know he was going to say something. "Mine, I've been having these nightmares."

Mine let their fingers lace together. "Go ahead."

Dark confessed how he'd been having those nightmares since he was very young. He explained the voices, the songs, the chemicals, how the nightmares forewarned him of things. How Benzene had revealed Anti's true nature, how Nitrobenzene foretold his meeting Mine, how Paradichlorobenzene had given him instructions the night before. "I had another one, after I passed out and you took me here. Antichlorobenzene."

Mine frowned. "That's not a real chemical, is it? You would know better than anyone."

"You're right. That word, the voices never sang it, but somehow I just know. I think... I think it was Anti's thoughts, it was her voice. I'm not sure... what to make of it."

Mine looked concerned, which made Dark panic. 

"Mine, please don't turn me in to some hospital! I'm not mentally unstable or anything, it's just-"

"Of course not! I don't think you're mentally unstable! You know... I've been dreaming about you all my life." Dark looked confused, so Mine explained. "Ever since I was really young, there was a boy who would appear in my dreams. My age, with the most gorgeous emerald green eyes I'd ever seen. He was begging for help, but I didn't understand why. When I first saw you, all those years back in kindergarten, I somehow made the connection between you and that boy. You're the same person. I was always so shy to talk to you, and I was terrified I'd scare you off. When I finally spoke to you, I started dreaming about you a lot more, and in... different ways."

Dark absorbed all this, then threw his aching body into Starmine's arms, and Starmine simply held him.

"Dark, welcome to your new home."


	5. Toluene [C7H8]

"My new... home?" Dark asked in wonder, tasting the word and letting it settle in his mouth.

Home.

"Don't worry, it doesn't make us brothers or anything," Mine explained. "You know, when we decide to do... less family friendly activities."

Dark giggled, then yawned. "I'm sleepy."

"I can imagine. You can sleep here, I'll sleep on the floor."

"Is this your bed?" Dark exclaimed, sitting up quickly but wincing from the countless new wounds all over his body. 

Mine nodded. "It's only for now, until we get you your own bed."

"But-!"

"No buts. You're sleeping in that bed."

"But... I kind of want you to sleep with me..." Dark blushed, his voice getting quieter by the end of his request. "I'm scared I'll have another nightmare..."

Mine couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "I'll protect you," he said solemnly, crawling into the bed and hugging Dark tight. "I promise."

Dark yawned once again, nestling in Mine's arms and whispering before sleep claimed him. "I love you, Mine."

He found himself in the birdcage again, but he wasn't scared. He knew Mine would protect him. Even then, he knew he was in control of this so called "nightmare." 

"You were helping me all this time," he spoke aloud in the middle of the cage. "You were always helping me, weren't you?" He spun around to face the blue door, then the red one. The stained glass faded to reveal a mirror. "You were helping me," Dark repeated, and his reflection nodded. "Why am I here now?"

"Your life is about to change," his reflection replied, a physical representation of the voices. "For the better."

The mirrors shattered, and two platforms extended from either side of the cage. He was free. He ran out onto one of them, a huge smile on his face. He heard a voice, but it wasn't his own. A calm, husky voice, one he found comfort in, but didn't recognize. 

"Is there any meaning to this song?

Is there any meaning?

Is there any meaning to this song?"

Everything seemed to slow for a moment before the next sentence. Knowing what he had to do, Dark took a deep breath, balancing precariously on the golden fencing around the platform. 

With no regrets, he let himself fall into the endless clouds of gray, hurtling towards Mine's waiting arms, ready to catch him.

"This song is meaningful."

He woke up with a start, Mine's arms snugly around him. "You were muttering 'Toluene' in your sleep."

Dark smiled reassuringly at the boy he'd grown to love so dearly. "I think it was the last of them." Mine knew the younger blonde meant all those nightmares. "They were there to help me, I understand that now. But they've set me free. Free from my parents, my sister, but mostly myself. I'm free from the cage of my mind, I fell into the unknown, but you were there, you are here to catch me. And there was another voice-"

"Excuse me, but are you two Starmine and Strange Dark?"

The two blondes looked up to see a tall woman, with long flowing pink hair, a gentle shade. Her voice was calm and husky, matching her soothing mannerisms. 

"You're her!" Dark gasped. "Toluene!"

She smiled gently. "You must be Dark. I'm Luka, from child services. Ah, but you're seventeen now, hardly a child. Were you ever really a child?"

Dark shook his head sadly. "I... never had much of what you'd call a happy childhood. Do you know... what Toluene...?"

Luka shook her head, but all three could feel the unspoken understanding. "You've forgiven your parents. I'm surprised."

Dark sighed. "I guess so. No matter how cruel they are to me, I can't just..."

"You can't bring yourself to hate them."

"Exactly."

"Even so," Luka continued. "Your parents are unfit to take care of you. Starmine's family has volunteered to take you in, if you accept."

"Of course!" Dark exclaimed, receiving a tight squeeze from Mine.

"Wonderful!" Luka clapped enthusiastically , a delighted shine in her lavender eyes. "Mine, your parents just need to finish signing some paperwork , then life can continue as normal. Any questions?"

"What will happen to them?" Dark asked quietly. "My parents, I mean."

"Your parents are serving a prison sentence for child abuse and neglect, as well as domestic violence," Luka informed him grimly.

"And Anti?"

If Luka was surprised that he cared, it didn't show on her face. "Anti is going into foster care unless another family is willing to take her in before that. Personally, I think it's what she deserves. Her lies are what turned your parents on you."

Dark nodded, leaning his head on Mine's shoulder. "I don't... hate her, at least not completely."

"No offense but I hate her for you," Mine snorted, making Dark laugh.

Luka smiled. "I'll be seeing you two a lot, just to check in. More to tell you how Anti and your parents are doing, Dark, but I don't have any concerns for you. You'll be happy with Mine's family."

"Thank you Luka, and thank you so much, Mine, for everything."

"I'd best be going," Luka announced, standing and shaking hands with the two blondes. "A pleasure to meet you, and I'll see you soon. Don't worry, you're not legally related, so it's not weird if one of you gets a boner that won't go away and you two have to take extreme measures to fix it. Later!" The tall young woman swept gracefully out the door, leaving Dark and Mine to process what the hell she'd just said. Dark wrapped his bandaged arms around Mine, letting the older cuddle him close.

"Dark? Something on your mind?"

"Yes. Thank you for freeing me from myself, Mine, and thank you for loving me."


End file.
